Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

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Built in 1851, the current Alabama State Capitol is the state's fifth capitol building. It was designed in the Greek Revival style and incorporates elements of the Beaux Arts style as well. The building is historically significant on a national level for two main reasons: it was the site of the first capitol of the Confederacy during the Civil War, and the end point of the Selma- Montgomery March that ended on the steps on the west side of the building on March 25, 1965. The march, which began on March 7 and led by Martin Luther King and several other leaders of the movement, highlighted the racial injustices still in place in the South. It was a seminal moment in the Civil Rights Movement, helping pave the way for the Voting Rights Act which was signed into law on August 6, 1965. For these reasons, the capitol was declared a National Historic Landmark.

2. City of St. Jude Historic District and Hospital

The City of St. Jude Historic District originally started as a Catholic organization in 1937 with the purpose of serving the African American community in Montgomery, Alabama. Providing a school, hospital, and church, the organization's mission was to offer educational, medical, and religious services to these African Americans. The organization gained national attention when it assisted the marchers of the Selma to Montgomery March on March 24, 1965. After they marched for four days, the organization opened their grounds to the marchers so that they could rest and receive medical attention for their wounds. In addition, the nurses and doctors here attempted to save the life of the march martyr Viola Liuzzo after she was shot by KKK members on March 25, 1965. The hospital closed in 1985 but the district remains open and important to the history of the Selma to Montgomery March and the Civil Rights Movement in general.

3. Robert Gardner Farm

This is the location of the third campsite used by the participants of the Selma to Montgomery March after their third day of marching on March 23, 1965. Prior to the march the activists and their leaders prearranged locations for the marchers to rest overnight during their 54 mile trek. Robert Gardner was the third sympathetic landowner to welcome the marchers to spend the night on his farm after David Hall and Rosie Steele. Although they were three days into their walk, the marchers still had two days left until they reached the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery. The kindness of Hall, Steele, and Gardner allowed the marchers to prepare themselves mentally and physically to continue their fight for voting rights. Like the other campsites, this farm is located along Highway 80 and is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

4. Viola Liuzzo Memorial

Civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo was murdered here by members of the KKK on the evening of March 25, 1965, due to her involvement in the Selma to Montgomery March from March 21-25. A mother of five from Detroit, Liuzzo came to Alabama to help drive the marchers to and from Montgomery. On the night of the 25th she and African American Leroy Moton were driving from Selma to Montgomery when four KKK members drove up to her car and started to chase Liuzzo, ran her in a ditch, and open fired on the car. Moton survived by playing dead and Liuzzo was taken to the nearby City of St. Jude hospital but her wounds were too severe to be healed. In 1991 this memorial to Liuzzo was erected by the Women of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the location of her death on Highway 80 and is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

5. Rosie Steele Farm

This is the location of the second campsite used by the activists of the Selma to Montgomery March after the second day of their march on March 22, 1965.Thanks to pre-arranged negotiations, the marchers had stayed at the farm of David Hall the night before and with Ms. Steele after a long day of marching in rainy conditions. Ms. Steele was a local Black woman, and her assistance to the marchers drew in people from the community who were curious about the marchers' campaign. On this second night the marchers prepared to start the third day of their march on the following morning.The campsite is located along Highway 80 and is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

6. Lowndes County Interpretive Center; Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

The Lowndes County Interpretive Center is a National Park Service visitor center along the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail. The trail in Alabama traces the 54 mile route along Highway 80 taken by marchers as they travelled from Selma to Montgomery to fight for the right to vote. led by Martin Luther King Jr., the marchers were both Black and white and practiced non-violent forms of protest. In March of 1965 these civil rights activists started 3 marches across the state and experienced violence, hatred, but also sympathy from others in different parts of the nation. Dedicated in 1996, the trail is home to the locations that were significant in helping the marchers achieve voting rights with the passing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act in August later that year.

7. David Hall Farm

This location was used as the first campsite for the activists in the Selma to Montgomery March on the night of March 21, 1965. David Hall, an African American farmer, owned the 80 acre farm in Dallas County, Alabama, and experienced harassment from the locals for assisting the marchers. During their stay here, the marchers got some much needed rest and received medical attention from health professionals for any wounds they got during the first day of the march. The farm is still a private residence to this day and is part of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.

8. Selma- Edmund Pettus Bridge

Edmund Pettus Bridge was the site of the "Bloody Sunday" attack on peaceful civil rights protesters on March 7, 1965. The bridge was built in 1940 and crosses the Alabama River. There were three previous attempts to complete a civil rights march in Selma prior to the decision of police officers to block the bridge and then attack the protesters on March 7th, a day known today as "Bloody Sunday." After the nation, including many white Southerners, responded with outrage in response to photos and videos showing police officers beating marchers as they lay helpless on the ground, Alabama police decided to permit the civil rights march to proceed. Martin Luther King Jr. led a second march across the bridge on March 9, 1965. With the support of a court order, a third civil rights march brought 25,000 participants to Selma to participate in marches the following month.

9. Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church: "I Had A Dream" Historical Marker

Outside of the Brown Chapel AME Church is a historical marker remembering the events that occurred in Selma, AL. March 21, 1965 marked the peak of the civil rights movement when over 3,000 people joined Martin Luther King, Jr. on a march for equal voting rights. The 5 day, 54 mile march began outside of the Brown Chapel AME Church and was to move onward to the capital in Montgomery. Successful in their efforts, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 just months after this demonstration.

10. First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church along with Brown Chapel AME Church were pivotal locations of the Civil Rights Movement. Located in Selma, Alabama a vital place in the civil rights movement, not only did they play a role in Selma, but in the movement as a whole. Built in 1894 by a local Black architect by the name of Dave Benjamin West, the church is considered to be one of the most architecturally significant Black churches in the state of those from the late 19th-Century. This small church would go on to host monument meetings, which, in turn, made giant progressions in the fight for equality.

This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.

Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

Created by Lauren Milton on October 31st 2017, 7:43:49 pm.

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This 54 mile trail follows the footsteps of civil rights activists' marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in an effort to achieve voting rights in 1965. The three marches, led by Martin Luther King Jr., consisted of both black and white marchers who believed in the practice of non-violent protesting. Starting on March 7, 1965, the series of marches ended in a victory with the Voting Rights Act on August 6,1965. The trail is part of Highway 80 and is ran by the National Park Service.

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Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail

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